(CNN) - John McCain's campaign said Wednesday it has contacted "appropriate authorities" over a report that Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin's personal e-mail had been hacked.

"This is a shocking invasion of the Governor's privacy and a violation of law," campaign manager Rick Davis said in a statement. "The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment."

The statement came hours after a user on the Web site WikiLeaks said he had gained access to Palin's Yahoo e-mail account and gained access. Screenshots of the e-mail messages and photos of the Alaska governor's family were published on that Web site and later on gossip Web site gawker.com.

"We are aware of the allegations and we are coordinating with Secret Service as far as the allegation that someone has hacked into Governor Palin's personal e-mail account," he said. "We are going to be working a joint investigation with Secret Service on this."

Brian Hale, an FBI spokesman in Washington, also confirms the FBI has been contacted about the incident. Two federal law enforcement sources say the FBI and Secret Service would have concurrent jurisdiction normally on a matter such as this, but it remains to be seen if the Secret Service will take the lead on the investigation because Palin is a protectee.

The e-mails shown include one from July between Palin and Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and another dated earlier this week from Amy McCorkell, the woman Palin appointed to the Governor's Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in 2007.

Palin has faced criticism for using a private e-mail account to conduct some state business - prompting critics to allege she was attempting to hide information from the public record.

soundoff(407 Responses)

About friggin time! I've been reading these emails everywhere else for over two hours now!

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

TyWebb

E-mail hack? I think he means Vice Presidential nominee hack.

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Truth be Told

Keep off all personal e-mail investigation stuff secondary. They should first investigate the state trooper stuff and after that is done, they should handle this.

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Cindy

Dunno about Yahoo, but I remember my kids telling me that Hotmail accounts are easy to hack.

I'm sure McCain's camp will figure out how to blame this one on Obama too...

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Jon T

She would be a very good looking secretary of models in state department but not VP or P.

OB 08!

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Tisk Tisk

And this is the woman who is "A Heartbeat Away from being President"? Come on! OPSEC is America's NUMBER 1 concern when it comes to protecting this country, and here is a Gov. that uses Yahoo for official business!? Did she really think this was secure? Next thing you know, she'll want to right down the codes to missile launchers on the back of her hand.... so she won't forget them!

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Joe Regis

It is an internal breach, the public does not need to know about it.

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Alvin

Thats lie and a cheap shot. The McCain camp must try another trick. They should stop making excuses over McCain bad judgment in picking an unqualified right wing extremist for VP.

September 17, 2008 05:44 pm at 5:44 pm |

Rick

Sounds like a typical low-life democrat stunt.

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

REAL Change

This woman is full of DRAMA...........Isn't this what she did to the former Mayor of Alaska? Just a ideal maybe she can give the name of the person she used in Alaska..

Didn’t take LONG for the media to feed into her next trick of getting the voters attention OFF the serious issues we are going through with Wall Street, the people in Texas, the economy, the gas prices, food cost and on and on and on. Why is it when others can care less about a email, the media take away from those who really need financial help to GIVE unneeded coverage to this woman. WOW, I guess we should NOT care about our own serious issues we face day to day.

CAN we PLEASE get back to OUR SERIOUS ISSUES as the voters.

And the Republicans had the nerve to start calling Obama……THE ONE.....

Obama/Biden 08

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

ronald lee rakestraw [hoss]

i think all ceo's of mager corperations who steal the livelyhood all ther stock holders and the american people should be in jail

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

Ross in MD

It is clear from the screenshots and email messages that she used this unofficial email account to conduct state business.

It is also clear that many of these emails are relevant to the ongoing investigation into Palin's activities.

Yet, she deleted both accounts. This is nothing short of destruction of evidence.

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

jfs Memhis, Tn

I would be angry also.............hope that there was not anything incriminating. This could get ugly.

Go Obama/Biden

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

D Joseph

Unbelievable. She's already been told about using public email accounts for security reasons, she's also been told not to do this previously as doing so may in fact be against the law!

Furthermore, John McCain is running on a platform that says they are stronger on National Security?? What a joke!

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

SEE

This is why you don't use a personal e-mail for government business.

Maybe now the government will know how it feels when privacy is invaded.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

go

And it begins... The anti-scandal scandal to distract people from Palin firing that guy starts, cause the last thing McCain wants is his attack-toy/VP/puppet speaker to be looked as a cruel/mean/evil/abusive government official... McSame would love to have Palin to be looked as a victim more.

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

Bob the Builder

And yet another act from the Drama Queen....

September 17, 2008 05:45 pm at 5:45 pm |

2008 MINUTE MAN

I JUST HOPE THAT THESE GUYS DIDN'T MESS UP AND MAKE THAT INFORMATION INADMISSABLE. IF NOT

BURN BABY BURN!
IN A NICE WAY
OBAMA/BIDEN

September 17, 2008 05:46 pm at 5:46 pm |

Watch the PALIN SHELL GAME while the GOP picks your pockets >)

More distractions... what FOOLS!

Let's move on...

WHAT INSTITUTIONS WILL WE HAVE TO SAVE NEXT?

HOW WILL WE CREATE JOBS IN SUCH A FINANCIAL CLIMATE?

GALVESTON IS STILL HURTING!!!!!

WHO ATTACKED US IN YEMEN??

STOP THE BS!!!
STOP THE BS!!!
STOP THE BS!!!!

September 17, 2008 05:46 pm at 5:46 pm |

Anonymous

A Republican griping about someone breaking the law?????
What law?? Aren't the Republicans above the law?
Ooops, sorry, I forgot!! Truth and laws only apply to Bush, Cheney, McCain, and Palin when it is expedient.

September 17, 2008 05:46 pm at 5:46 pm |

Anonymous

Next time use the better encrypted government system; at least you can fight a subopena in a court of law... good luck now with the court of public opinion.

September 17, 2008 05:46 pm at 5:46 pm |

Seth in Jacksonville

This happens all the time to normal folks. Are our tax dollars going to be spent tracking down some teen-aged hacker?

Why was she using her personal email account to conduct business? Maybe so there would be no oversight of those messages...?

September 17, 2008 05:47 pm at 5:47 pm |

Obama-Biden '08/'12

If this is an opportunity for the American public to get the truth on Palin, let's see the email trail.

September 17, 2008 05:47 pm at 5:47 pm |

Annie

If this is true, then the law should be levelled full force against the one who has done it and spread the emails for all to see.

September 17, 2008 05:47 pm at 5:47 pm |

Megan

WAIT wait wait...This coming from the same party whose current President rolled out the Patriot Act? So they go loco over someone hacking their personal email yet they support the government reading our personal email, listening in on our personal phone calls, in general invading OUR privacy? Talk about hypocritical.